Serving Barnwell County and its neighbors since 1852
A new independent study is inviting South Carolina’s agricultural producers to share their priorities, challenges, and outlook in their own words. Your Voice: Understanding the
Agricultural Landscape of South Carolina is currently in its pilot phase, open to producers in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, and Hampton counties.
The study is conducted by USC’s Hazards Vulnerability and Resilience Institute (HVRI) in partnership with The Good Fruit Foundation, a South Carolina nonprofit. It is nonpartisan, not tied to any government program or commodity board, and completely anonymous. The pilot survey takes about 15 to 20 minutes, and producers in the four pilot counties who complete an optional contact page are entered into a drawing for one of four $125 Visa gift cards.
“Producers in these four counties know their own story, their hurdles, and what is impacting their operations in ways that are distinct and real,” said Angela Rainwater, founder and board president of The Good Fruit Foundation. “This study gives them a way to put that story on the record, so that the decisions that affect their livelihoods are grounded in what is actually happening on the ground, not assumptions.
Their voices matter, and this is their chance to be heard.”
These four counties are where the study begins. Producer responses from the pilot will directly shape how the effort expands statewide this fall, giving early participants a meaningful role in building a clear picture of what South Carolina’s agricultural producers face, need, and experience. The pilot survey is open through Friday, July 31, and every response strengthens what the study can show.
“Agriculture touches nearly every dimension of life in South Carolina, yet we lack the kind of independent baseline data about producers’ experiences that other sectors have relied on for decades,” said Susan Cutter, Ph.D., co-director of HVRI and Carolina Distinguished Professor Emerita of Geography at USC. “This study is designed to help fill that gap. When results are shared with policymakers, researchers, and agricultural organizations, they will reflect what producers actually told us, nothing more and nothing less.”
Results from the study will be made publicly available. The study is funded in part by the National Science Foundation (Award #2316128) and has been reviewed and approved by the University of South Carolina’s Institutional Review Board (Study #786).
Producers in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, and Hampton counties are encouraged to take the pilot survey now at yourvoice.ag before the July 31 close.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the researchers and community partners involved in this project and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
